Dylan reasoning

Did you know that poop sleeps? According to Dylan, his poop doesn't come out because it's sleeping. He says when it wakes up is when he will sit on the potty. I actually had to repeat what he said, because I wasn't sure I heard it right. Oh, I heard it right. Whatever makes him feel better about potty training is ok by me, I guess.

Stupid Box

Despite his best effort, Owen just can't get his box of wedgits open. I expected the reaction but not the words he chose. You'll also notice that he peeks at the camera before he says it again. Thank Mom for capturing this moment for me!

It's been a while

I know my blog is hit or miss these days...well, mostly miss. It's a reflection of my life at the moment. Everything that could have been considered normal ended when Russ took on the Santa Cruz house. We all expected it to take up the remainder of the summer, but seeing as it's almost Christmas, it looks like we were all off base with that prediction. It's no one's fault. It's just how things turned out.


This schedule reminds me a bit of when Russ still had a job. We would maybe see him on the weekends, and briefly in the mornings before he'd disappear into work until midnight. The big difference is he isn't bringing home a check. The plus side is that we've spent probably 5-6 weeks in Santa Cruz this year. The boys have been spoiled this year with all the hours they've clocked at the beach and in the forest. They love going to "grandma-grandpa" house, even though they can't play outside. They get so excited whenever they see the deer, and they are dying for the deck to be done so they can go out on it.

I can't say when I'll get back to blogging on a regular basis, but I did want to check in and let you know that I'm not giving up on writing here. Thank you to the family and friends who have helped out where you can. We appreciate it beyond measure!

Family life out of whack

Thankfully no one is sick enough to stay home from school, but the coughing and runny noses aren't giving up the fight just yet. The kids are upbeat and running around with occasional pitstops for a tissue. I, on the other hand, have been dealing with headaches and fatigue since last week. I'm not sure if it's Brandon's virus that kept me in bed for 3 days, or if I'm just mentally exhausted from Russ rarely being home these days. I missed him so much today I called asking him to come home sooner than later. With Russ gone, I feel like I'm just drifting without direction or just plain drowning, depending on the day. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous since I have the moms' help. I just need to call, and they are there asking what they can do. If it wasn't for them getting the kids to and from school, I wouldn't be able to work much while Russ is gone. I'm sure I'd be far more exhausted and bordering on insanity without them, too. It's just that when Russ is gone I feel like part of me is missing and nothing feels right until he comes home again. And yet when he is home, I'm comforted for only those first few moments I see him, because I know that he'll be leaving again in just a few days. I feel like I'm getting ready to crack, and I'm doing all I can to hold it together.

Is the week over yet?

We at the Fuller household have been dealing with varying degrees of sickness this whole week. On Monday, the beginning of it all, Russ was kind of enough to delay leaving for Santa Cruz until the kids' naptime so I could get some rest before he left me all on my own. Kind of sucked though, considering he was the only well person here. Sucked even more when all three kids decided they weren't going to actually nap that afternoon. I refused help from the family because I didn't know what kind of illness we were dealing with, and therefore was a miserable, cranky excuse of a mommy.


Deets and O have been home all week dealing with colds and projectile snot everytime they sneeze. Brandon has the same symptoms plus a sore throat and low grade fever. My poor stir-crazy kids so badly wanted to go to school today. 2 of the 3 made it. Brandon was prepared to spend the day at school, sick or not. I said "not" and took him to the doctor instead since he's still fighting his fever. The doctor says he's just dealing with a virus that just needs to run its course. So now he's at my mom's house today eating popsicles on the couch watching movies. Being stuck in our house was just killing him. Brandon is so tired to being sick. Who can blame him?

Russ is home. Now what do we do?

Russ has been in Santa Cruz so much for the last 4 months, that when he's home, we're not sure what to do when we have a kid free evening anymore. We no longer go out to dinner or anything remotely date-like. We're usually both so tired that we find it hard to make an effort to do anything beyond vegging in front of the tv or computer. We do spend a lot more time just sitting and talking if the boys wind down at a decent hour, but that's rare.

Tonight we were blessed with one of those kid free nights. What did we end up doing? Ordering Chinese take-out and having a quiet dinner at our kitchen table. No screaming, crying or fighting emanating from the living room. No wondering what they hit each other with to make a mark like that. No "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy...." Nothing crazy, frenzied or out of control. Just peace and quiet. Just the sound of forks tinging on plates, the thud of beers being lowered back onto the table. Just enjoying being together and talking and listening to each other. May seem boring to most, but when life is as crazy as ours feels, boring is just right.

We survived

If you live in the area, you know about the crazy ass storm that blew through here at 60 miles an hour and dumped a crazy amount of rain. We survived, but our trees barely did. We lost 4 good sized limbs off of our liquid amber, three of which hit the house. One other limb took out half of another of our trees and landed in the street. Instead of calling the city like a normal person, I stupidly put on my snow jacket and hiking boots, grabbed our Christmas tree saw and set to work on the mess in the street. I managed to clear half of the roadway. The neighbor came home while I was out there and kindly helped me cut through the larger pieces and pull those out of the road as well. I was a drippy, miserable mess by the time I headed back to the house. The next day I got a good clear view of the mess Russ was going to come home to:

Random Church Fall Festival

Brandon shocked Diane and I with wanting to ride pony today. His very first pony ride! He has never wanted to go near a horse, much less want to climb on top of one. I'm totally disappointed that I missed it. We were at a free church fall festival, so I was busy helping Deets play games, when Brandon agreed to a pony ride. I didn't actually think he'd get on the horse. Why would he if he's never wanted to go near a horse in the past, right? So wrong! That's what I get for not believing that Brandon would be brave enough to finally try.

Stunned silence, then laughter

Owen is such a character. For those of you who know him, know exactly what I'm talking about. He sings in the shower (no baths for my boys). He dances to the songs in his head, and even sometimes hums along. Well, today was another great Owen moment.

My always hungry 2 year-old told me he was hungry and wanted to eat. So I ask him if he wanted me to make dinner. Oh boy did he! He grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and started rambling off all the things I could make for dinner. Nothing was sounding good, so he decided he was blowing off dinner and moving straight to snack time. He's pointing at snacks in the pantry. Well, I put a stop to that, and open the freezer. I'm pointing at chicken nuggets, mini corn dogs, french fries. He's pointing at ice cream, frozen go-gurts and Popsicles. Well, that didn't work out too well. So I have to tell him we can eat those yummy treats after dinner. He's insisting on dessert, so I tell him, "That's not how it works." Instead of being a normal 2 year-old and throwing himself on the floor, he calmly responds with, "That is how it works." I just stare at him because that's all I can do. Then when my brain is done processing what he said, I just laugh and compromise with him. He has salami, crackers, pretzels, cheese and apple juice for dinner. Yes, I let him win. How could he not?

Back to School Night Results

A few weeks ago was Back to School Night for Brandon's school. Based on some of his school work and a little talk with Brandon, I'd become concerned that my daydreamer was daydreaming in class. I should have know the first day of school he was doomed, because he sat down at his desk in the back row right next to the windows and toys. The absolute worst place for a daydreamer. This theory was made more real when I sat down at his desk that night. The puppet theater was slammed up against his desk so he couldn't see outside.

I asked Ms. Aguirre about my hunch. She verified the daydreaming and the lack of focus. I suggested moving him to the front row, and she'd actually considered it already. I think she was fearful of offending me with this thought, because she actually looked relieved when I made the suggestion first. The very next morning Brandon was sitting in the front row. Brandon came home excited to tell me that he got to move to the front row. He said he can hear so much better now. Huge smile on his face. It was great! Since the move, Brandon has not brought home a single sheet of school work unfinished or incomplete. I'm not worrying about him at school anymore.

An Owey-ism

CROCK-i-gator

When you're 2 years old an alligator and a crocodile look the same. Poor guy got confused and mashed the two words together and came up with "crockigator". He was so confident saying it, that it was down right adorable.

Dylan's thought process

I posted this on Facebook yesterday and decided it just had to be on the blog. It's not often that we get little gems like this from Dylan. He's usually too busy trying to get everyone to do what he wants.

So I'm driving Dylan and Owen home from preschool yesterday when I hear Deets sneeze. Keeping my eyes on the road, I immediately grab a tissue and pass it back to him. A second later I hear, "It's orange!" I glance in my mirror and see has a little blood rimming his nose, so I tell him that he probably just has a bloody nose. Well, since he's never had a bloody nose, this explanation of orange snot just won't do. That's when he tells me, "No, I think it was my cherries (from lunchtime)....But how did a cherry get up my nose?"

I couldn't laugh out loud, because he was so serious asking me his question. He would have been so upset by my out burst. All I could say was, "I don't know, honey," and leave it at that. (And just to clarify, there wasn't a dried cherry stuck up his nose.)

Still don't know how the city approved this!

Welcome to our hell. When this crazy, monstrous addition is done, we are quite sure our backyard temperatures are going to jump significantly as the sun beats on their house and radiates into our teeny-tiny backyard. This just plain sucks.

Video: Walking to School

A little snippet of Brandon walking to school in the morning. He waved that leaf at me just about the whole way to school.

School days are back

Brandon and his pal, Paulina

Well, we all survived our first week of school. Brandon is our big first grader experiencing a real school schedule. We're at school every morning at 8 which has been quite a challenge for our mini Russ who enjoys his sleep. He's gotten up every day so far cranky and loud protesting his need to get up citing that he's still tired and not going to school that day. Thankfully, the walk to school mellows him out. He becomes lost in his own imagination gathering leaves and sticks and whatever else he finds appealing. Who knows what they become once they are in his hands...good vs evil? Wall-E and Eva taking him on an adventure on the Axiom? Or just some really cool stuff that he just can't bear to leave behind? Only Brandon knows because if you ask him, you break the illusion that he's created and he can't quite make it back into his head before he reaches school.

The first day was definitely the hardest. New schedule, new teacher, new classroom and only a few of the same faces from last year. He enjoyed the 3 recesses they get, but found it difficult to eat his lunch in the cafeteria the first day. He had no idea there was a time limit, so being on Brandon time only made it through his crackers and some raisins and some juice. The second day Brandon asked me to only give him two things so he could be sure to finish his lunch. I haven't really learned much about school since I haven't been able to pick him up. I miss the walk home from school with Brandon. That's where I was able to wheedle out of him the events of the previous 3 hours. Now there's 6 hours and I don't get to talk to him until dinner time, at which time he's forgotten all about school. Not liking this set up one bit!

Owen & Dylan, the preschool duo

Owen and Dylan started preschool this week too. Dylan is completely bummed that his favorite friend has started kindergarten. According to Dylan, he's already played all the jobs and Gracie is gone, so he doesn't want to go back anymore. He ended up going back the second day without much of a fight. He really has a good time, and now that he's one of the "big" kids, he gets to go in the back room and learn all his pre-k stuff. Owen on the other hand acts like he doesn't even have a brother. I take that back...Owen did venture over to Dylan a couple of times and tried to take Dylan's "job". According to Dylan, Owen didn't want to play with him. Owen is the most independent of all our boys, and honestly doesn't need a brother to keep him entertained. D, on the other hand, is pretty needy. He wants to be wanted and played with and needed and followed. I guess that's another reason preschool turned out to be a bummer. Poor D! We'll see how week two goes. Owen only had two infractions this week (not putting away his job/toy and refusing to join circle time), so we feel we are off to a good start!

A couple of the preschool "jobs" the boys enjoy

Final vacation of the summer is over

We spent our last week of freedom before school starts in Santa Cruz again. We left Sacramento's sizzling heat on Friday, August 28 only to arrive in Santa Cruz baking in 100 degree heat with no breeze. The next day's paper said they hadn't been that hot in 45 years. Lucky us! We got to sit in a house that felt like it was 90 with all the windows and doors open hoping and praying for even a whisper of a breeze. Luckily the house finally did cool down that evening.

Our boys got to spend 4 days with their older cousins Brady, Cole and Ethan, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Kim. When we weren't at the beach, the boys were lined up in front of the tv playing games on our old Xbox. Even the dads got in on the gaming action. Brandon discovered a snowboarding game that he's absolutely hooked on. He could have spent all day playing video games. Then there's Deets who knows the games are too hard for him, so he sits on the couch watching Brandon play all the while yelling at Brandon because Brandon isn't making the snowboarder do what he wants or Brandon is picking the wrong character to play or even the wrong coarse to race. Owen, on the other hand, is sitting on the couch next to D with the other game controller in his lap (unplugged) pressing buttons and thinking that he's playing the game. Big smiles from that one.

Most of our days were spent at the beach digging in the sand, playing in the water (I bet Cole is still pruny), searching for sea shells, eating (Owen: I hungry), or playing frisbee. Oh! And Brady tried out surfing. That was pretty cool to watch him get up on the board and see a smiling Vernon throw his arms up excited for his son. Many a hole was dug. Many a child disappeared into the holes. Many a bucket was filled with water...some dumped into the sand, others made into "rocket soup". This trip our kids became more comfortable playing in the waves. Dylan got knocked over, but managed to get up and play again. A much different story than the beginning of the summer. Brandon was rolling around in the waves, and Owen was confident enough to chase his brothers in the water without having to hold a hand. He'd always come right back to me and hold on when he was done running or if he saw a big wave coming. On our last day at the beach, we stuck the surf board in the sand and had the boys stand with grandma with a copy of Inside East Sacramento. I really wanted all 6 boys with their grandma in the paper together. One photo turned out pretty good, so I layed out the Our Readers Near & Far page today and placed it in the paper. I'll post a link when our October papers are up on our website.

We managed a little Boardwalk time, too. Brandon & Owen hit two separate jackpots on two different nights. Brandon hit a 243 ticket jackpot the first night, and Owen hit a 1000 ticket jackpot the second night. All three boys came home with big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuffed toys. The cousins, Uncle Vernon and Russ played a game of laser tag, while my little ones pounded their way through the token bag. Poor Russ came out of the game just sweating bullets. He had to stand outside in the cool ocean night air for a good 20 minutes trying to cool down. The boys were all flush from playing tag and looked like they had a good time. I really wish I had my camera with me the second night because it was just adorable watching Dylan and Owen playing air hockey together. At one point Dylan slid the puck into his own slot just so grab it out of the bottom slot and put it back on the table. They played two games and Owen threw the biggest fit when he couldn't play a third game.

When my mom came down we drove down to the Santa Cruz wharf so she and the boys could see the seals. We were also hoping for a crab cocktail, but Stagnero was closed. Mom also really wanted to go walk in the woods so we took her to Nisene Marks. It's one of my favorite places because it's so huge and just beautiful. I also snapped a photo of mom with the boys with the Inside paper as well. I'm saving that one for a few months down the road. The boys were so excited to be in the woods, the last thing they wanted to do was stand still for a picture.

At the end of our trip, Scott Hanchen and his son, Avery, came down to help Russ work on the upper deck. We spent our last night at the house eating sushi and drinking ice cold beers. It was a busy, just plain fun trip. We got to be a family and just hang out (nevermind that I squeezed a little work in here and there).

Now that I'm back in town with the boys, they have been spending the night at mom's house because my cousin Marlyn, her mom and her family are here for the weekend. The boys have spent the last two days playing with their 2nd cousins, Samantha and Brittney. I've been working all day and spending the evenings at my mom's with my extended family. This last week makes me so thankful and feel so blessed that we all have such a large loving family. What more do you really need?

First day of art camp

Our homework we did tonight. Sorry about the photo quality. I took it with my phone.

Brandon & I attended our first day of 3D art camp. The camp is taught by Mark Kistler from The Secret City and Imagination Station. I remember watching The Secret City on PBS when I was in grade school. Brandon was so fascinated by all the stories Mark came up with while drawing that he forgot that he was supposed to be drawing too. There he sat with his mouth wide open just staring at the screen as Mark was drawing. Mark busted him a couple of times just staring and not drawing. Brandon would just smile and get back to work. Even though Brandon was frustrated that his pictures didn't look perfect, he really had a good time because Mark is so animated and fun to learn from. Our little perfectionist is learning that drawing doesn't have to be perfect when you're just practicing. By the end of the week, he's going to come away with a whole new perspective on drawing. I may even have to go buy him a new sketch pad and pencils. It has been at least 10 years since I've picked up a pencil and paper to just draw. I think by the end of the week, I may have a renewed interest in drawing. It's something that Brandon and I can enjoy doing together.

Punks suck

I was on the way to Russ's mom's house for dinner with the kids earlier this week, when we were bombed with water balloons from a car driving the opposite direction. Scared the crap out of me and the boys. We were going about 40 and they were going at least 50. The sound those balloons made on my windshield had me wondering why I wasn't holding one in my lap. Thankfully we were all ok and drove directly to a car wash, because I wasn't going to take for granted those balloons were filled with just water. The boys just couldn't understand why anyone would do something so mean. (How sweet are they?)

Once we are in the car wash, Brandon & Dylan are super excited for the wash to start. They are typical boys who find the spraying water cool. Owen, on the other hand, is shaking so badly, he looks like he's having a seizure. His eyes are as big a saucers and his hands don't know if they should cover his ears or his eyes, so they are hovering midway between both shaking uncontrollably. Now I'm extremely upset because my "baby" is being terrorized by the car wash that I would have never been in if it hadn't been for some bored punks who really need their asses handed to them ground up and stuffed into a salt shaker.

Thank goodness for moms

My mom has given me a short reprieve from my children. I dropped off my goof troop at her house this morning before heading into the office. Then work, laugh, laugh, LAUGH, work, work, done. I came home with a massive headache. Mom, in all her awesomeness (is that a word?), offered to keep the kids overnight. Did I mention that she had planned on keeping them anyway? The quiet house is a little unnerving but so thankful for the mental and emotional break. Thanks mom!

Gluing my hair back in

STRESSFUL EVENING!!!!!! Brought the boys home from Grandma's house this evening. They yelled in the car the whole way home and didn't hear a word I said all evening. When we got home I told Brandon, "Don't open the car door. There are people walking on the sidewalk." I hear, "Ok Mommy." 10 seconds later I'm walking around the car to let the kids out and the door is wide open and the people are walking on the grass to get around the door and my kid. If there was such a thing as a self-destruct button on a person, mine was pushed 20 minutes later. Boys were in the bath, half the water was on the floor and not a one could hear a word I was saying. As far as they were concerned, I wasn't even in the bathroom with them. I guess that's day two without a bath. I managed to wash everyone's hair, but that's it. I'm hollering, yanking wet bodies out of the tub...the evening was completely out of control. I managed to get them dry and dressed and put them straight to bed. The "Mommy!" round began but quickly died when I told them, "I'm done with you boys for tonight. Go to sleep." The surprising thing is they did. Thankful for small favors.

So far I haven't broken down in tears, but man I feel them coming. Just want my husband to come home to help me stay just a little bit sane. So thankful that our moms are helping to watch the kids so I can work, but the evenings are the hardest without Russell. That's when everything starts to fall apart, and when I miss him the most. If we have a rough day, we stay up talking after the kids go to bed. Not having him to talk to for the last week has been really hard. Can't wait to see him next week.

The things my boys say...

Dylan to my mother, "I need a credit card!"
What??? Why??? Is he not spoiled enough that he feels the need to spoil himself some more???


Brandon after he got in trouble today:
He was soooo mad that after slamming the door, opened it and yelled, "I'm done being a boy!" and then slammed it again. Diane and I looked at each other and laughed as quietly as we could. I walked in there 10 minutes later looking stern and asked, "Your done being a boy? What are you going to be now?" I couldn't hold back the smile when I was done talking. Brandon's face went from anguish to sparkling, laughing face in an instant. That was shattered a moment later when I had to talk to him about why he was in trouble, which really sucked.

Owen and his garbage trucks

What little kid doesn't run to the window to watch the garbage truck and "tractor" pick up all the green waste from the street? Well, Owen was obsessed this morning. He started crying as soon as he heard it, because he didn't know which window to run to so he could see. I carried him to the front window and propped him up on the trampoline so he could see over the bushes. He wasn't posted up long before he wanted to go outside to see them "up close". By this time, they were at the end of the street and he wanted to get closer to see. I took that opportunity to load him and his stuff up in the car to go to my mom's house. Once I had him buckled up and I was in my seat, Owen yelled, "Follow that garbage truck!" It was so perfect! He followed it up with a "Let's go!" for good measure.

Santa Cruz, again

Brandon's birthday was on the 27th, so we took the boys to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for rides and games. The boys had the best time on all the rides. Brandon & Owen surprised us with their love of one of the ferris wheels. Brandon must have gone on it 3 or 4 times; Owen rode twice. They went on rides for 2 1/2 hours and then played games for another 1 1/2 hours. Owen didn't quite make it to the game portion of the day. The rides wore him out! Russ & I were exhausted by the time we left. Brandon had a great birthday. We spent the rest of the week at the beach. July isn't the best time to go since the fog didn't really burn off until 1 or 2 pm each day. No one really cared. The boys had toys and video games to occupy their time at the house.

Brandon's big day at Bounce U

Yesterday was the big day! Brandon had several friends from kindergarten, his pal from preschool, his cousin, and family friends come to play. Everyone had such a great time. At least I assume they did based on the red, sweaty faces. Benjamin, 3rd from the right, is one of those friends from kindergarten. He had his birthday party here during the school year, and it's all Brandon was able to think about for months. When it was time to plan his party, it was pretty much a no-brainer. We did our best to give him other options, because we honestly didn't want to drive to Roseville for his party. He considered these options, but in the end, wouldn't be swayed. Once the place was booked, we involved Brandon in some of the planning. He went shopping for his cake with his dad. With so many cakes to choose from, it took a good few days for him to decide. Russ also involved Brandon in shopping for and assembling the party bags for his friends.

It turned out to be a great day for everyone. Brandon had the best time. I barely saw him the whole party! Dylan did his best to keep up with big brother and Gracie, from preschool. Owen, on the other hand, wasn't too sure about the place, because the music was too loud and the bounces houses were too big. He kept saying he wanted to go home. That all changed the moment I was able to get him to slide down a slide with me. He was hooked just like everyone else. We all played (yes, Russ and I played, too) for the full 75 minutes. Russ & I were just as sweaty as the kids. It was the quickest party we'd ever experienced. Hmmm! Wonder why???

After pizza, cake and presents, we packed it up and went home. We were so happy with how the day turned out. The staff was super friendly. They reminded me of Dylan's preschool teachers. They were all about keeping the kids happy and safe. They were just great. It made the long drive worth it!

Neighbor pains

Don't get me wrong, the people next door are nice, but it doesn't stop me from disliking the fact they are adding a second story less than 12 steps from my back door. (Just imagine that the neighbor behind you is just as close as your next door neighbor.) I'm just now realizing that all common area windows that face the backyard will no longer see blue sky. All we will see is the house next door. If you haven't been here, our backyard is very shallow and long since we are the corner house. Now our yard will look like an alleyway. I'm already trying to come up with ways to block the view of their house. If we ever want to sell, the backyard is going to be a huge factor now.

I took some photos, but it's hard to tell how close they really are. I took all of the photos from our two different back doors:

Outside our laundry room door: You can't see it, but he's
framed 2 windows facing our backyard and it looks
like he's going to frame a 3rd.

Standing just outside of our two huge sliding glass doors,
this is what we see. They are so close I need a wide angle
lense (which I don't have) to capture the whole house in one shot.

The polka dot tree

We picked up the boys from my mom's house last night. Before we left I had a plastic bag in my hands, and I told my boys to get their shoes on so they could help me pick polka dots from the polka dot tree. They thought it was funny and weren't quite sure what I was talking about. I told them I was picking plums from Lola's tree, and that's when they wanted to help. They also made a point of making sure I knew it was a plum tree and not a polka dot tree. I can't help calling it the "polka dot tree" because that is what Brandon used to call it when he was about 3 years old. He had insisted they were polka dots, NOT plums. It's little things like this that make me sad that they grow up so fast. Brandon doesn't even remember calling them polka dots.

I want to be sedated

It's been a horrible, stressful week. Russ has been gone since July 10. That right there should be enough, but that's just the beginning. I've dealt with a 2 day migraine that left me completely useless. Once I got over that Dylan woke up complaining about a crummies in his tummy. An hour later he threw up all over his favorite blanket. I was torn between comforting my child and the necessity of work. In the end my poor mom had to come over to take care of him because I couldn't miss another day of work. I'm the only graphic designer this month, so if I don't work, ads don't get designed. (Nevermind the "if I don't work we make no money" reason.) The next day I was carrying a sleeping Deets to Brandon's swim lesson, when Brandon announces he has to go #2. You can imagine me trying to help Brandon use a public restroom with one hand. Complete nightmare! I finally had to wake Deets up and make him stand in the corner. Poor guy had no clue where he was, while Brandon had his hands all over that toilet. Can you say "freak out"???? I so badly wanted to but did my best to control myself in front of the children. The day after that Deets fell out of bed in the middle of the night and landed on his head. Of course this was the only night that I haven't put a big pillow on the floor just in case this happens. He sounded like he dropped 4 feet to the ground. It was an awful crashing sound followed by a cry. I couldn't hold him tight enough or give him enough kisses. Needless to say he slept with me that night. And finally yesterday, I was given a new project by a client of mine, but they want it turned around in less than a week...the same week we ship our papers to the printer which is always a nightmare week. Through all of this I'm leaning hard on my mom to help with the kids just so I can work. The days she wasn't able to help, my stress level went through the roof. Good times! All I can say is THANK GOD RUSS IS FINALLY HOME NOW! Maybe I won't have to be sedated after all.

STRESS relief

After a horrible stressful day, I gave up trying to work, trying to plan birthdays, trying to figure out gifts, trying to straighten the house....and just laid in my bed with my 3 boys and watched Muppets from Space. We snuggled and enjoyed the movie together. They relaxed me and loved me and that was just what I needed.

Baby kisses

Ok, technically, Owen is not a baby anymore, but his kisses feel like baby kisses. He's recently started giving me kisses on my cheek. It all started when I pointed to my cheek and asked him to kiss it. Now he does it when he's feeling affectionate. Sometimes he wants me to tap my cheek so he knows where to kiss, other times he just kisses it just because it's there.

Swim lessons

I finally got to go to one of Brandon's swim lessons today. I could see how much he just loves it. They do the very basic stuff which is perfect for Brandon. I hate to say it, but he is not all the coordinated in the water. When given instruction, Brandon follows it to a tee. The instructor was showing him where his arms should be when he swims. He made sure he hit all the points perfect and stopped his arm movement at each point as well. I think that's also why he doesn't kick fast enough. He thinks too much when he should just be doing it. He's our little perfectionist. The best part is he isn't getting frustrated and giving up. He's just trying and trying and having a good time. They ended the lesson jumping off the diving board. The poor kid was shivering to the bone, and he still kept getting in line to jump in the water.

We also took Dylan and Owen to swim lessons. All Dylan cared about was going to play at the park. Owen on the other hand kept saying, "Wanna go too!" when he saw Brandon go off to his lesson. Owen was even taking his shoes off. It was a real battle to get his shoe back on his foot. After the two of us muscled Owen's shoe back on, Russ took both boys to the park. Owen was fine until Russ brought them back at the end of the lesson. That's when Owen wanted to touch the water. When I said no to that, he switched strategies and asked to "wash hands" in the pool. We knew were fighting a losing battle, so Russ took him to the edge of the pool and let him "wash hands".

Brotherly bops

Well, I'm marking my calendar today. For the first time in my life one of my kids finally said in that whiny, sing-songy voice, "Well, he started it." The infamous phrase came from Dylan's lips. Kind of ironic, because he's usually the one stirring the chili.

All three boys weren't even home all day. Brandon & Dylan came home at 5pm. We were at the pool for swim lessons by 6 and home by 7. By 7:30 I was ready to pop in some ear buds and have a glass of wine pretending I live in a child-free house. Every second they were together was filled with yelling, crying, hitting, tattling, grabbing....causing Russ and I to participate in the yelling portion. Sometimes I feel like an outsider walking by must see smoke and dust smoldering from the foundation of our home.

I'm not broken!

Finally made it to the doctor yesterday afternoon. I've got a bad sprain. I'm already doing everything I should be to help my ankle get better. That was soooo good to hear! The last thing I have time for is a broken ankle! Actually feeling really good today. The swelling isn't so bad, and the bruise isn't as disgustingly green as it was a few days ago. So far so good!

First day of swim lessons

Brandon is taking swimming lessons at our neighborhood pool. His first lesson was today. Russ said Brandon seemed to be super excited. Such a good sign! After the lesson, Russ and Brandon came to pick me up at my office. Before I could even get close to the car, Brandon was yelling about his lesson to me through the open window. He LOVED it! He thought it was so cool that there were 4 other kids in his class. He was telling me the swimming terms and that he loved the whole lesson. He didn't have any favorite parts. Sounds like I need to sign him up for the next session before it fills up.

I had planned on signing him up for tennis lessons, but it looks like that will be put on the back burner until the fall. I actually mentioned this in the car, and Brandon was really receptive to the idea. Russ also suggested golf lessons. That's when Brandon said he wanted to be one of the golf guys on the tv. Looks like we'll be looking into golf lessons as well.

4th of July

The boys were so excited about fireworks, as Russ knew they would be, he took them out front in the morning to light off smoke bombs, sparklers and snakes. He even lit off some snap-crackle-poppers. Owen wasn't expecting the noise and went running when Russ lit them off. He was done with fireworks after that. Poor little O! (It was kind of funny watching him run in a panic trying to find me. I felt so bad for him by the time he found me.)


After dinner we popped across the street to joined in on the dessert potluck and fireworks bonanza. The last couple of years the family across the street had hosted, so that was really nice for Owen. He was able to watch the show from the window. He did eat his fill of sweets at the potluck, though, before all the noise really got going. Brandon's baseball coach and his family joined the fun this year. His daughter, Emma, (from Brandon's class and on the t-ball team) came across the street to hang out with us. She even brought Brandon some sweets to share. It was really cute. Brandon liked having her there, but he's such a boy already. He kept leaving to do this and that and not asking Emma if she'd like to come. He finally figured it out by the end of the night and asked her to come watch the big Cal Expo fireworks at the park with him. Good boy! She didn't come, but at least he thought to ask.

Simple photo advice

I randomly found this simple advice. It was directed more towards moms, but dads don't always make it into the photos either. Please read it. Your children will be thankful if you follow it:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2009/05/snap-out-of-it/

My doctor closed early!

So much for having my ankle taken care of today! I spent an hour and a half on the phone trying to get an appointment. By the time I got through it was after 12 and their "We're closed for the holiday" message came on. I was pissed! It was like they were refusing to answer their phones. I have never had that much trouble getting a human being on the phone. The silver lining in this story is that my mom had broken her ankle not long ago and still had her walking cast. At least I can hobble around in that until Monday.

Big klutz

That would be me! I was carrying Dylan down the last few stairs and thought I was on the last step when I was actually on the third step. I tried to turn the corner and fell to the ground floor. I did my best to protect Deets, and landed on my ankle instead of my foot. I crumpled to the floor in pain. My other two boys were watching, so they were a bit freaked out watching their mother yelling in pain. I was thankful that Deets came out of the fall fine. I spent the remainder of the day laying on the couch with my foot elevated and on ice. All I could do was watch what was happening around me or sleep. Not the way I thought this vacation would end. It sucked!

I woke up this morning with a super swollen ankle but not in any pain. I figured I could limp from the bedroom. That was a huge mistake. I was in such intense pain, I hobbled back to the bed. I had to elevate my foot for another 20 minutes before the pain went away again. I'm really worried that I may have fractured it. We're heading home today, so I'm hoping to get an afternoon appointment. We'll see!

Big Vern & Connie's house

Today we checked out the rental house to stay at Connie & Big Vern's house. (It's really Diane's house, but I still call it Connie & Big Vern's.) We haven't stayed there in almost 6 years because there had been a long term tenant living there. I didn't realize how much I missed the house until we went inside. It was like the last 6 years hadn't happened. It looked the same, and it even smelled the same. It was like seeing Russ's grandparents everywhere I looked. I expected to open the fridge and see all the goodies Connie used to make or glance out on the deck and see her sweeping leaves. In the morning I could here Big Vern asking me if I was ready for my orange juice. The kitchen would always smell like bacon and bell peppers because Big Vern would have our breakfast prepped for when we got up. All he had to do was crack the eggs into the pan. I can't even image how Russ & his mom were feeling. After the boys went to bed tonight, Russ built a fire in the fire pit. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the fire and talking about all sorts of things. It was a hard, but good day today.

Just another day on vacation

Owen was the first one up again this morning. He climbed into bed with us and snuggled. He kept giving me little hugs complete with light pats on the back. He also held my face in his hands a lot. It was really sweet. By the time Deets was up and in our bed for his snuggle-bug time, Owen was heading back to his spot on the sleeping bag. That's when he discovered Brandon sleeping in his spot, and he was none too happy. He woke Brandon up to make him move over. Instead of moving over and going back to sleep, Brandon woke up screaming bloody murder. We went from calm to screeching in the blink of an eye. So much for the calm morning. Dylan & I tried to ignore all the noise and kept snuggling. Russ had to deal with the screaming banshee.

Since it looked like it was going to be a nicer day than yesterday, we headed to the beach again today. It's free and the kids just wear themselves out. They had a great time today. They weren't the out of control, deaf children we took to the beach yesterday. They just played and played and played. (Oh, they ate and ate and ate again too.) They even allowed us to enjoy the sounds of the ocean, and bask in the sun's warmth. My mother-in-law, Diane, and I managed to get sunburns. I'm pretty burned, even though I had sunscreen. All I can say is thank goodness the boys escaped burning.

It's bedtime right now. Actually passed bedtime. It's 8:45 and Brandon is poking Owen. Those two are rolling around on their sleeping bag, laughing, poking, hitting and laughing some more. Poor Deets is laying next to them trying so hard to go to sleep. He's so tired after another long day playing at the beach, he can't even tell his brothers to stop.

Beach Day!!!

Today was beach day. We spent a good four hours at Rio Del Mar Beach. I spent a good portion of that time yelling, "Don’t throw sand," "Please share," "Get back over here," and "Don’t throw sand!!!!" I must have yelled at Brandon 50 times about throwing sand. The last time I yelled at him, he had thrown a shovel full of sand into Owen’s face. That wasn’t fun trying to comfort a 2 year-old who can't see and who is trying to spit all the sand out his mouth. Aside from that, the boys had a wonderful time. I think I needed Russ with us at the beach. We usually trade off with the yelling and being the voice of reason. Aside from the boys running wild on the beach, they got some sandcastle building, hole digging, Frisbee throwing, seashell searching and sand dune jumping in today. I swore they were going to fall asleep in the car on the way back to the house. Not a one! There were some exhaustion related meltdowns happening once we got back. That was solved with dinner. Full bellies mellowed them out. I don't know why...those boys ate all day long today. Right up until bedtime they were asking for cheese, bread, apple slices, and just food in general. Even Mr. Picky Deets was on fire with the food. I think that’s what through me off the most! That boy barely eats. I actually found myself saying, "Nobody is eating anything else!" It was CRAZY! It’s like they are all going through a growth spurt at the same time. Today was just exhausting. After baths, I popped in a movie for them and poured a glass of wine for myself. I was so frazzled, I swore I'd polish off the bottle. But after a couple of glasses, I corked the bottle and came upstairs to type this. Now I'm so tired, I think this will be the end of this lame entry. Nighty, night!

My drive to Santa Cruz

Good times! That's all I can really say about that drive. There was a horrible accident on I-5 just before Lodi. We were stuck in stop and go (mostly stopped) traffic for at least 5 miles. By the time we got to the accident, the kids movie was over and I was listening to all three boys yelling, "I want to watch...!" over and over.... They finally accepted the fact that I couldn't change their movie. Dylan and Owen settled in for a nap, while Brandon tried without success. It was a difficult trip for us all because Russ is usually the one driving, and I’m in the passenger seat taking care of the boys’ every need. Not this time. Russ drove his work truck down with all his tools in back just in case he needed them to do some work on his mom’s rental. The rest of us were packed into my car with all the usual beach vacation items. He’s staying the whole week, where we are just staying until Wednesday. Brandon tried so hard to talk to me during the drive, but I couldn’t hear him. I kept telling him to speak up, but he just couldn’t. The only time he talks loud enough to be heard is when he’s upset. It took four and a half hours to get here today. It was ridiculous...but then again, I guess it could have been much worse. My luck didn't change once we got here. The house we rent that used to have internet access, no longer has internet access. So much for my plan to work and blog! Maybe we will have better luck when we move to Diane's house mid-week.

Hee hee, giddy with glee

Bought a new laptop today. (hee, hee) I can work or play anywhere now. Half the problem with working at home is I'm stuck downstairs and the kids are running wild upstairs. I'm giddy that I'll have my computer when we go to Santa Cruz. I can actually work (or blog) in the evenings when everyone is winding down and going to sleep. (hee, hee)

Connie's '67 Cadillac

Well, the long awaited day finally came. Russ had the Caddie towed to a mechanic specializing in classic cars. Russ told me the mechanic wanted to hear the history of the car like a doctor would want to know his patient's medical history. That right there made put Russ at ease with leaving the car there.

The car used to be his grandmother's car. Russ likes to point out that she was the original owner, and it was bought at Hubacher. When we would drive down to Santa Cruz to visit, Connie was still driving it to the store and to go get her hair done. The day eventually came when she decided she shouldn't be driving anymore. That's when Russ started driving the car, so it wouldn't just sit in the garage and deteriorate. Not that it was torture for him. He loves driving that car. Well, over the years the car started having electrical problems and fuel line issues, and it was also leaking fluids. It ended up sitting in storage, and then my mom's garage collecting dust. There was never enough time, or something else was always more important to deal with. Now that Russ isn't working the crazy hours he did when he was in sales, he figured now is as good a time as any. We had the cash to saved to fix it, so why not? Right after Russ drove it home from the shop, we hosed off the dust and went for a nice long drive. Aside from the car spewing radiator fluid at the end of our drive (because the cap was left off), it ran like a champ.

Brandon must have been around 2 years-old when he asked Russ if we could go for a ride in "the Caddie car." Russ told him when it was fixed we would go for a ride. Little did we know it would be almost 4 years and 2 brothers later that he'd finally get his ride. Russ drove the car over to his mom's house the next morning to surprise her and the boys (they had spent the night). Let me point out that Diane was less than pleased that the car sat for as long as it did, and who could blame her? It was her mom's car. Anyway, Russ says that she was all teary-eyed when she saw it. Russ strapped in a carseat and booster seat and the four of them when for a drive.

A perfect day

It was an all about Deets day. He and I spent the morning together...just the two of us. This never happens, so it was very special for us both. We spent the morning at the zoo. He got to be the leader and decide what we were going to do. He marched us around to glance at most of the animals. We only stopped at his favorites: the gibbons and the fish (by the red pandas). It was early enough in the day that all the animals were out and about, but they didn't warrant a second glance from Deets. He obviously had an agenda, and he was sticking to it. He wanted to take pictures at the zoo cutouts??? If you know Deets, the last thing he likes is having his picture taken. I guess it's acceptable if he's sticking his head through a hole! After a brief snack, we headed off to the new hand-carved carousel. Deets couldn't believe there weren't any "seat belts" and asked me to hold him so he wouldn't fall off his zebra. He loved it. The whole ride he kept asking me what all the other animals were around us. It really is a beautiful ride. Next was the zoo train. We were first in line, so D got his pick of seats. He was disappointed that he couldn't see any of the animals from the train...the same front and center animals he refused to look at when we first got there. By train time, they were all hiding in their enclosures. After that, he wanted to play on the rope spider web and the cement "shell slide". I was surprised that he only played there for 5 minutes, before he announced he wanted to go in the reptile house. He treated each window like a Where's Waldo? page, "Where is it, Mommy?" and "I see it, Mommy!" As soon as he found the animal, off to the next one. If someone was standing there, he'd skip it and move on to the next one. After a 2nd snack, it was time to go.

He was singing The Wheels on the Bus on our walk back to the truck. He sang several verses and then told me to sing "the daddies on the bus" verse. I tried to make the daddies on the bus go bumpity-bump, but Deets busted me and said only the people go bumpity-bump. "Try again, Mommy." I asked him what daddies did on the bus, and his answer was, "Don't know. Do you your best Mommy." When I was done laughing, I came up with "daddies on the bus go goofity-goof". He like it so much, he made me sing it 5 more times. Singing came to an end when it was time to get in the truck. He was more focused on buckling himself in and having his toys in his lap.

We hadn't even pulled onto Land Park Drive before Dylan asked, "But Mommy! Where are the golf at?" On the way in he saw people playing golf and wanted to stop and watch, but then he decided the zoo was better. Now that the zoo was done, he was back on golf. I pointed out the people playing and pulled the truck over so he could see. I knew he was dying to get closer, so we got out of the truck and sat at a bench at one of the tees. He had great golf etiquette. He was very quiet, didn't talk when they were hitting and searched in vain for the ball once they did hit. Once he realized that he couldn't see the ball once they hit it, he was bored. He loves to sit with Russ and watch it on TV. I think he was expecting to be able to see the ball like he does on TV. I've already told Russ he needs to take D to the driving range. I bet he'd just love that.

We spent our quiet time on my mom's couch watching Bolt while Owen napped in her room. Later in the day we played together outside, and I even managed to get him to lay under the big tree in the backyard and watch the wind blow the leaves. We had such a wonderful day together. Dylan was just glowing. He had a perfect day, and so did I.

Live, eat, breath newspaper

Not too tasty.... We are shipping our papers to the printer in a few days, and things are getting a bit hairy. We are down one designer, which means I'm doing all the designing. Several clients haven't submitted ads or changes to existing ads yet. No stress...just distress. No, not really. Just super duper annoying! I just finished working on ads and I needed a tiny venting period. I'm done now. Going to bed.

Brandon's crafty

Brandon LOVES art. The first thing he does when he gets up in the morning is draw or craft something out of cut pieces of paper. Yesterday he wanted to do a craft with me, so I pulled out paper plates, markers, crayons, googly eyes, ribbon....He decided we should make masks with googly eyes, but then decided cut holes were better. Here is what he came up with:

Owen and his rice

That kid of mine is so funny! He was sitting at the island in my mom's kitchen today. He took the lid off the rice cooker saying, "nt (want) rice." Then it was "nt poon" over and over. He was ready to eat the plain old white rice right out of the cooker. So impatient...he barely waited for his bowl and spoon.

Cindy's Dad in the hospital

My dad went to the hospital for a scheduled surgery yesterday morning. The procedure for his diverticulitis went well. He was having additional problems with his heart today, so they moved him to a room on the cardiac floor. I went to visit him yesterday and today, and he was far more pleasant than I expected. The last time I saw him in the hospital, he wasn't so nice. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with all the pain he was in and all the strong drugs they were giving him. I think he's much more mellow this time around since he has a friend with him most of the day, and my brother and myself are popping in for visits. He should be home in a few days as long as they don't find additional problems with his heart. I'm hoping he can go home soon, so he can get some rest. With nurses and doctors popping in and out to check on him (or a roommate) it's impossible for him to rest. He was moved to a private room today, so hopefully he'll be able to rest a little easier.

Last day of school

Brandon is dead-center singing

Brandon had a fun filled last week of school: Play Day, Pajama Day, Picnic Day and finally the Kindergarten Celebration. Thursday the kids stood on a stage to sing us some of the songs they've learned this year. It was pretty darned cute. Cameras and camcorders were working overtime.

Brandon loved kindergarten. He said he'll miss his classmates, but he'll miss Mrs. Wong, his teacher, most of all. I can only hope he ends up with a 1st grade teacher than can measure up to Mrs. Wong.

Brandon & Mrs. Wong

Baseball Photos

One of the boys on Brandon's team has an aunt who is a photographer. She shot quite a few photos at the Orioles games. The links below will take you to photos of Brandon.

http://jkstans.zenfolio.com/p626105055/e3da76079
http://jkstans.zenfolio.com/p244803541/h204344bb#h204344bb
http://jkstans.zenfolio.com/p244803541/h204344bb#h384a1d06
http://jkstans.zenfolio.com/p244803541/e34fa247e
http://jkstans.zenfolio.com/p244803541/e2086f7b7
http://jkstans.zenfolio.com/p244803541/e254054f8

T-ball season is over

Brandon played his last t-ball game of the season this afternoon. They played on the big field today instead of the t-ball field. Russ said it seemed like the parents were more excited for the kids than the kids were. Brandon was so proud of himself that he caught a ball and threw it to 1st base. He was also really excited that he was able to hit the ball pretty far. He had a terrific final game. He's really sad that the season is over because he really, truly enjoyed playing the game. But on the flip side of that coin, he was super excited to get his t-ball trophy and had a great time goofing off at the end of year pizza party with his teammates. We are all looking forward to next year. Brandon is hoping to be on Coach Bill's team again. He just loves his coach.

Preschool event tonight

I took all 3 boys to preschool tonight. (Can I add that I was there alone with the 3 boys?) They had a graduation potluck for the end of the school year. I wanted the boys to go so Deets could play with his friends, and Brandon could see some old friends. Owen just played and watched other kids around him. He already acts like he owns the place. He often likes to tell me that it's his preschool.

Anyway, I'm all excited that Brandon gets to see his best pal from preschool, Gracie. She graduated tonight, and Brandon snubbed her! He said "hi" and then ran off to play by himself. I asked him later if he thought he was too old to play with his old friends, and he actually said yes! I asked him if I set up a play date with Gracie, would he play with her. He said he would because he likes Gracie. That's when I told him that he could play with her tonight, and that's what he did. It was good to see.

I think part of him was shy. He hasn't seen Gracie for quiet a few months. I think that gap in time made him unsure of how to play with her. Before Deets switched to 1/2 days, Brandon would come with me to pick up Deets. He and Gracie would be off and playing for the short time we were there. Now they never see each other. It makes me sad for Brandon, because he hasn't connected with anyone else the way he connected with her.

My boys are finally all home

I don't remember the last time I had all three boys home in their beds asleep! They have been with either my mom or Russ's mom for at least a week. I've had Owen most of the week with a Deets or Brandon here and there. It feels like they have been on vacation without us. Now I have this overwhelming sense of comfort knowing they are all peacefully sleeping in their own beds. I'm pretty confident that I'll have a warm little body crawling under my covers in the middle of the night tonight. I love it when they do that. They snuggle right into one of us and fall right to sleep.

My heart melted today

I was laying on the couch this morning, because I was sooooo tired from the few hours of sleep I was able to get last night. Owen in all his sweetness yelled, "Mommy!" I answered, "Yes baby," with an arm out reaching for him. The next thing I know my baby comes running at me, hugs me tight and says, "I love you," and doesn't let go until I'm done hugging him back. I'm tearing up right now just thinking of it. He's never said those words before, and they came out of nowhere. I was blown away and a puddle of mush all at the same time.

Poor neglected Deets!

I was working on one of Dylan's scrapbooks today. He is the most neglected when it comes to recording his life. I just have not been able to get it together to get his first year scrapbook passed the day he came home from the hospital. I don't know what it is, but every time I sit down to tackle it, it's like I hit a mental road block. I just sit there paralyzed not knowing where to start. I have the photos in my hand, the notes to record the event in writing, the decorative pieces to make the page pretty....nothing. I have a feeling that it's because it isn't as cute as Brandon's scrapbooks. I had so much time to work on Brandon's. His is really creative. Dylan's is turning into a very simple, clean scrapbook with very little color and even less creativity.

Since I just can't figure out D's first year, I've moved on to the years that follow. So much easier! I've given up the large scrapbooks for digital photo books. They are less time consuming and so much easier to build. On the other hand, they are far less personal. Lets be honest, I don't have time for personal! D's first year scrapbook is a great example! It will be a miracle if it ever gets done. Anyway, today I was able to fill in 30 pages of Dylan memories. I am on a mission to get his book up to date before anyone else. My poor neglected Deets! I'm having the best time watching him grow up all over again. He was such a silly baby!

Owen's world

I really wish I wasn't the one driving today, because I would have loved get some video of Owen in the back seat. We had just dropped Dylan off at preschool, and we were on our way to the store. Owen spent the whole car ride talking to himself and singing, "brother coming" over and over again. Just those two words. It was so cute to hear him being in his own little world.

Owen is 2 today!

The birthday boy being silly with his brothers just before cake time

Today was Owen's 2nd birthday, so we had a party for him at my mom's house. Owen had the best time. He played so hard today, ate a little bit of everything, and even snuck some sips of Uncle Steve's coke. He loved all the kids that came to play today, especially his second cousins Samantha and Brittney. His Thomas the Tank Engine cake was a hit, and he tore through his presents. He knew the day was all about him and he tried his best to stay awake only to crash around 5pm.

Deets the barber

Well it was bound to happen. Dylan cut Owen's hair with a pair of safety scissors....

Owen came running crying, so I called Dylan in to see me (Brandon wasn't home) to ask him what happened. He comes in carrying the scissors, but I don't even see them until he tells me that he was getting Owen ready for a haircut. I look at Owen and nothing seems to be out of place, so I tell Deets that we don't cut anyone's hair with the safety scissors. I send them back out to the living room to play and take away the scissors just in case D forgets what's been said. 10 minutes later Deets comes running downstairs into our office with Owen right behind him with our second pair of safety scissors. Apparently he was trying to return the favor. I took away those scissors as well.

Later that evening I find locks of Owens hair on the floor. I run my fingers through his hair and clumps of hair come out in the back. Lucky for Owen Dylan didn't cut much in the same spot. I honestly didn't think Deets had done it until I found the evidence. He was so scared he'd be in big trouble he never admitted to it.

County Fair

We took the kids to the Sacramento County Fair on Thursday after Brandon got out of school. It was the perfect day to be there. There weren't many people, so the kids got off rides and got right back on all afternoon. Their absolute favorite was the super slide. They spent a good 20 minutes sliding. Owen even loved going with Russ. Every time he got to the bottom, he'd yell, "Again! Again!" just like the other two. We had to leave and come back to give Russ a rest. All those stairs and trying to fit Owen in his lap was a little exhausting. They also loved the fun house, mini ferris wheel, train, flying saucers, fish ride, spinning dragons and bumble bees. The down side to all the rides: most of them didn't work properly...not that the kids noticed. We also checked out the FFA animals: rabbits, hens/roosters, turkeys, sheep, goats and cows. All Deets wanted to see were the cows. When we finally found them, he wanted to see every single one. He was pointing out the cows as if we couldn't see them right in front of us. It was pretty cute. We finished up our day with a couple of games. In the car they were all clutching their prizes and looking extremely tired. It was a good day for the Fuller boys.

Open House & Art Festival

Last night was Caleb Greenwood's Open House and Art Festival. We walked down to the school and the first thing the kids saw was the Jamba Juice tent. Five minutes later they were walking around straws in mouths sucking on their cool treats.

The art tents were so great. Each class worked on an art project that was auctioned off to raise money for the school. Brandon's class drew nature pictures that were compiled into a large nature scene painting. One of the mom's is an artist, so she took the kids drawings and sketched out the scene based on their artwork. The result was just fantastic. I was dying to buy it (and so were a few other moms), but it turned into a gift for Brandon's teacher, Mrs. Wong. She really wanted it so one mom suggested we all buy it for the kids' teacher as an end of year gift. A few of us parents presented it to Mrs. Wong immediately at the end of the auction and she had it placed near her desk shortly thereafter. She was so touched.

In case you were wondering what Brandon's contribution was to the painting, he had two animals portrayed:

Brandon's Raccoon and Bird

Brandon's classroom was just crammed full of families. There was so much to see, it really did take quite a while for Brandon to show everyone around. He loved showing us all the things they have been doing all year. They made books, scrapbooks, photo books, self portraits, potted plants...that room was just crammed full of all kinds of projects. We also made a point to go visit the first grade rooms and meet the teachers. Brandon was just fascinated with the building toys first graders get to play with. He then noticed all the dioramas they created for open house and the desks (not tables) the kids sit at. He thought it was all pretty cool.

Brandon at the batting cage

At Brandon's last practice the kids got to try hitting some balls off the pitching machine. Had I known, I would have brought my video camera. All I had was my phone, but I'm thankful I even had that! Brandon did soooo great! He hit 4 of the pitches. Talk about boosting his confidence...he wanted to spend the rest of the practice in the cage.

Deets, the event organizer

Dylan has found a new favorite toy at preschool. I looks like a mini teeter totter that you put a beanbag on one end and you step on the other to launch it into the air. He loves it so much he organized the kids at school to make sure everyone got a turn with this toy. That surprised me when a teacher told me. It was so unlike Deets. It actually sounded more like Brandon.

I wonder if it has anything to do with his potty training. He's been really good about staying dry and going pee in the potty chair. I've been making a big deal about how he's such a big boy now just like Brandon. He idolizes Brandon, so every time I say it his face just lights up. Maybe he's thinking that since he's big like Brandon now, he'll start doing things like Brandon??? Who knows. All I know is Dylan is growing up before my eyes and it makes me a little sad. One more year and he starts kindergarten.....(sniff, sniff)...my babies are growing way too fast.

Bruiser

Owen is such a bruiser. He's usually muscling his way into getting what he wants away from his brothers. Sometimes he's so focused on the "prize" that he's not always paying attention to what he's doing. This morning was a good example.

I knew it was going to be another hot one today, so I wanted to go outside to do a little watering and gardening. Since Owen was the only one awake, I took him outside with me after breakfast. So there he is throwing a fit in the backyard at 7:30 in the morning about something trivial. I redirect his attention so he'll play with some toys, but that only lasts about minute. He's whining and carrying on as he makes his way over to me and does what I assume is a face plant into the concrete. Because I didn't see him fall, I don't realize what happened until we get in the house. All I know is I'm carrying a shaking baby who isn't taking a breath because he hurts so bad.

This is what actually happened to his face. A few good scrapes on the nose. I swear that boy cannot go a day without adding some sort of mark to his collection of scrapes and bruises. He is all boy!

Mommy's Day

I hope you all had a nice Mother's Day. We invited the family for a bbq at our house this year. Everyone just hung out watching the kids, while Russ worked his assssssss off bbq, serving drinks and preparing appetizers for everyone. I love and adore my husband, and that day he went above and beyond to make it great day. I love you honey and thank you, thank you for a wonderful Mother's Day. xoxoxo

The Upside Down Show

This show is my kids' all time favorite show. We used to find it on Noggin, but they stupidly have taken it off the air. Our boys have a fairly well developed imagination, but this show put their imagination into overdrive!

If you have never seen the show, you can check out the little snippet below. Shane and David start each show with a couple of words like horizontal and vertical. They demonstrate the words in silly ways always involving an imaginary remote control that they eventually "hand over" to you. It's very creative and very entertaining for parents and children alike. Our kids run around the house knocking on the doors yelling, "Knock, knock! Come in!" and Action Fingers make many appearance at the table during meals. They play all kinds of make believe games now, and I believe we have Shane and David to thank for that. It was by far the best children's program on tv. We just can't figure out why they took it off the air.



Russell actually found Shane and David's official site, The Umbilical Brothers. This links to some of their other comedy: http://www.umbilicalbrothers.com/site/stuff/videos.php

We love these guys just as much as our kids do and hope they come back on the air soon!

Started a new blog

I don't know what I was thinking, because I really don't have the time to keep up on this blog, but I started "A Moment in Fuller Time". I created it for my favorite snapshots of my kids. The images capture moments that I wish I could witness or re-live again and again.

I really wanted to post just one photo with my Santa Cruz entry, but it didn't really seem to fit with what I wrote. So that's where the new blog idea came from. It won't be updated quite as often as this one...unless I start going snap happy with the camera.

http://fullermoments.blogspot.com/

Photos: Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

Diane invited us to join her in Santa Cruz, so we took the boys before the rain came. It was a wonderful few days. We went hiking in Nisene Marks. It was so cute watching the boys explore their surroundings...the bugs, the bridge, the trees, the paths...Oh, the paths! They all wanted to lead and choose which way we should go next. The bridge was a pretty big hit, too. Russ, of course, had to set an example of what not to do by climbing on a log next to the creek. He took a few steps and realized he couldn't go any further, so turned around and joined the rest of the family. After walking for some time, the boys were so disappointed when we made them turn around and head back to the car. They just wanted to keep going to see what else was ahead on the trail. We were trying to avoid having to carry them a mile back to the car! I will admit I felt the same as the kids, though. I just wanted to keep going and see what would pop up around the next bend.

We took the kids to the beach a few times. The first day was just too cold and windy, so we just went home instead. The following day wasn't as windy, and the sun was out, so we chanced the beach again. It took a while for the boys to get going. At first all they wanted to do was snuggle under warm blankets and eat snacks. Once they were warm enough they dug in the sand, went hunting for seashells (and in Owen's case, rocks), and the ever popular jump off the "sand cliffs." D found rolling down the sand hill far more satisfying...oh, and Owen would jump up and then run down with those short stubby legs. It was hilarious.

We made a stop at the wharf for some crab cocktail and to check out the seals. We talked Brandon into trying the crab, and he actually liked it. He ate half a small one by himself. That shocked me. Owen tried it and spit it out saying it was "ucky". Russ gave him the oyster crackers instead, leaving him happy as a clam. Dylan was sound asleep in the car, but that was for the best. He wouldn't have tried the crab, and he would have been upset that there were only a few sleeping seals to be seen.

The Boardwalk was the last stop on our list of activities for the boys. They spent most of their time playing games and winning tickets in the arcade. They played and played and played. We had to drag them out of there to go have a picnic lunch. They did not want to stop to eat, and we did not want cranky, hungry children. With that battle behind us and with bellies full, we oh so smartly took them on a couple rides. Their iron guts handled the rides without issues, thankfully. After a stop at Marini's for some taffy, chocolate and gummies, we cashed in our tickets and walked away with tummies full of sugar and new toys in hand. Happy day!

You know, even though we took them on exciting outings, the boys were just as happy to run around outside at the house. The place had a deck wrapped around it for their running pleasure, a hammock they loved to swing in, little lizards darting around for them to look at, little rocks to line up and play with, and outdoor shower that they completely forgot about....they were in heaven the entire trip.

Photos: Easter 2009

Our ladybugs

We bought a bag of ladybugs Wednesday of last week because we have a few azalea bushes just covered in aphids and white flies. Brandon could not believe you could buy ladybugs. He was so excited he insisted on holding the bag during the ride home. We released them that same night, and they were doing a great job of cleaning the bushes. That is until a bird came and picked them off one by one. I didn't think that small bird could make such a big dent in their numbers, because later than evening I could only find about 5. We bought some more to try our luck just one more time. This time Dylan held the bag during the ride home. We released them last night. They are still sticking around, but some have very different reasons than others. We have placed our bugs into two different categories:

Worker bugs
(click to enlarge)

The Reproducers

I'm having to keep Owen from swatting at the bushes with his toys. He's fascinated by their movement and just hits the bushes to see what would happen. This morning he saw Brandon picking up the bugs, so of course he had to do that too...only problem is he didn't know how. So I find Owen pinching and squishing the bugs in a effort to pick them up and put them on his arm. It was quite a challenge to put the bugs on him, because once they were on, he still wanted to pick them up. We eventually had to come inside for a break from the bugs. When we came back out, Owen was much more relaxed about the bugs. Thank goodness!

The ladybug that lived...

Want to know where not to eat?

It seems we have just been having horrible luck with dining out lately...

Tonight Russ wanted a Shrimp Louie salad from Sellands. (I got him hooked on them while I was pregnant with Owen.) I thought it was a bit ironic that I'd just had a conversation with someone regarding how Sellands is a complete rip off, and now my husband wanted to eat there. He's actually been complaining about the portions getting smaller for some time now, but keeps going back only to get pissed off again. Tonight was the straw that broke the camel's back. I looked at their online menu to see if they still served their turkey w/ brie sandwich. After seeing how much it was, I chose to go with a salad too. I noticed that they no longer listed a large and small size for the Shrimp Louis, so I called to see if we could still order a large. I was told that I could. I also ordered a different large salad for myself. Well, Russ brings the salads home, takes them out of the bag and was disgusted with what he saw. They threw a whole heart of romaine in a box, dumped a small scoop of dressing on it, sprinkled about 8 shrimp and a couple of chopped tomatoes. It was so small and sparse that he promptly returned it. When he asked for his money back, they couldn't figure out how much to give him back. Technically they sold him a small salad for the price of a large. Instead of refunding his money like he asked, they offered to make the salad a large one. That is when Russ told them that he'd been eating there for years and it seems like the portions just keep getting smaller and smaller yet the prices remain the same. He told them he was done with Sellands, and that he didn't plan on ever coming back. That is when he asked for his money back again. They promptly returned his money and tried to give him some free desserts, but he was so irritated and done with the place, he refused and left. Personally, the only reason I've gone is for the turkey sandwich, and I regret it every time. The sandwich is almost $9 and it is good but it is so small it never fills me up. Some of the staff are so rude that I can't believe I just paid to be treated like that. It only took tonight to tell me that I was done with the place as well. Some of our friends have been complaining about Sellands for months now with the same issues. I think Sellands needs to wake up and realize some of their losses financially aren't from the economy but are from fed up customers like ourselves.

On a better note I just had lunch from Cafe Bernardo yesterday. The food is just as good, if not better...Not that this a fair comparison since Sellands is more like a deli and Bernardo is a full service restaurant. Then again, price-wise it's more than fair. Who pays for deli food when you can be served at a restaurant? Bernardo's portions are so much larger, actually bordering on too much, and so very tasty. My mouth waters just thinking about my lunch. If given the choice what would you choose?